Hamlin family wants no ‘backlash’ toward Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, friend says

Damar Hamlin’s family doesn’t want Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins to receive any “backlash” for the play that preceded the Buffalo Bills safety’s cardiac arrest.

Jordon Rooney, a friend of Hamlin, said on NFL Network that Hamlin’s parents were “a little bit frustrated” to see that Higgins was getting criticized for the play. 

“Damar’s parents were a little bit frustrated that Tee [Higgins] was receiving any sort of negative backlash,” Rooney told NFL Network. “This was a regular football play. Tee has reached out, he’s been supportive of Damar and his family. The family doesn’t want any negative backlash towards Tee at all.”

In what looked like a normal football play, Higgins caught a pass and lowered his shoulder as Hamlin tackled him on Monday night. Seconds later after Hamlin, 24, stood up, he collapsed to the ground and went into cardiac arrest. He was given CPR on the field as his teammates surrounded him, and he was taken to a nearby hospital. 

Rooney also said that while Hamlin is still in critical condition and in the ICU, the safety’s doctors did see progress overnight. 

It’s unclear what “backlash” Rooney is referring to, but it could be criticism by ESPN’s Bart Scott on Tuesday. Scott, a former NFL linebacker, said what Higgins did on the play should have been a penalty. 

“Right before the tackle, [Higgins] lowers his helmet and he kinda throws his body into [Hamlin’s] chest,” Scott said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “He’s standing up because he’s thinking he’s gotta chase Tee Higgins at an angle to make a tackle, so he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to launch his body back into him.”

“They’ve taken that out of the game, but they don’t regulate it as much as possible,” he added. “I expect the league will be a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty.”

“I’m not trying to put the blame on Tee Higgins, but that’s something [the NFL] tried to take out,” Scott later said. ”They never make that call.”

Scott was resoundingly criticized on social media after the clip went viral. 

“Yoo are we serious?!!? why do we let some people speak on tv?!” Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons said in a quote-tweet of the clip. “This was a freak incident but putting fault on another player is wild! They should make some of these guys go over lines or something or not even give them a seat at the table!”

Stephen A. Smith, the face of “First Take,” defended Scott on the program Wednesday morning.

“He wasn’t blaming Tee Higgins in any way, he wasn’t questioning his intent in any way, and for people out there to say otherwise is ludicrous,” Smith added. “That is not what Bart Scott said on this show yesterday. That’s an absolute lie.”